O Estranho Ano de Vanessa M.

by Filipa Fonseca Silva

Quando entrou no carro, naquela tarde de Inverno, Vanessa não sabia que estava a embarcar numa viagem sem retorno. Uma viagem interior, que pôs em causa todas as suas escolhas e, acima de tudo, toda uma vida construída em torno das expectativas e opiniões dos outros. Entre episódios trágicos e cómicos, que envolvem uma mãe controladora, uma tia hippie, um casamento entediante, um chefe insuportável e uma amiga que não sabe quando se calar, “O Estranho ano de Vanessa M.” conduz-nos nessa auto-descoberta e faz-nos reflectir sobre o poder que temos de, a qualquer momento, colocar tudo em questão. Porque a busca da felicidade não tem prazo.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Contemporary, Portuguese Literature

216 pages, Paperback

First published May 30, 2013

About the author

Filipa Fonseca Silva was born in a small town called Barreiro, just across from Lisbon, Portugal, in 1979.

She graduated in Communication from Universidade Católica Portuguesa and worked as an advertising copywriter until 2017. She is now a fulltime writer.

Her debut novel is called Thirty Something – Nothing’s How We Dreamed It Would Be and it made her the only Portuguese author to reach Amazon Top100 in Women's Fiction. It was followed by The Strange Year of Vanessa M (2013), Things a Mother Discovers (and no one talks about), Taxi Tales (2017), I Hate My Boss (2018), The Elevator (finalist of Bertrand Book of the Year 2022), What if I Die Tomorrow? (finalist of Bertrand Book of the Year 2023) and Brave Green World (June 2024).

She likes to write about ordinary people, whose stories reveal timeless dilemmas but capture the spirit of our times. She has a very cinematographic style and the rights for a movie adaptation of her two latest novels were already sold in.

Filipa is also an activist for the environment and women’s rights, and founded the Women Author’s Club in 2023, a platform for mutual support between female authors, which aims to promote and celebrate Portuguese Literature written by women (she rebels against the tag Women’s Fiction). 

She lives in Lisbon, Portugal with her husband and two children.

To keep updated with her work, you can follow her IG: instagram.com/filipafonsecasilva

Or even email her to filipafonsecasilva(AT)gmail.com

Reviews

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parti para a leitura deste livro sem grandes expectativas, e por vezes é mesmo o melhor que fazermos para podermos ser surpreendidas.
Vanessa é uma mulher como tantas outras. Cresceu a obedecer aos pais, casou cedo com o seu primeiro e único amor, teve uma filha e um emprego estável durante 10 anos. Até ao dia em que Vanessa percebe que a sua vida não é a vida que escolheu. É a vida que todos esperavam que escolhesse, mas não é feliz. E um momento irreflectido vai mudar a sua vida para sempre...
Um excelente livro sobre escolhas, mudança, arrependimento mas sobretudo esperança.

[Gabriela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gostei muito deste pequeno livro. Não consegui parar de ler até chegar à última página. Uma surpresa muito boa, um livro simples de ler e com uma história tão maravilhosa e verdadeira.

[Mafi · Rating 4 out of 5]

É constante, não diria lições de moral ou lemas de auto-ajuda, mas um certo tom de reflexão sobre a sociedade em que vivemos e a vida que levamos hoje em dia. Cada vez mais virados para o nosso umbigo e preocupados com o trabalho, os filhos, as tarefas em casa, as pessoas invejosas e rancorosas e que muitas vezes esquecemos-nos de tirar um certo tempo para olhar à nossa volta. Pode parecer cliché mas não deixa de ser verdade e gostei bastante de como a autora introduziu o tema da repetição dos mesmos hábitos todos os dias, da falta de liberdade em escapar à rotina de todos os dias, receando sempre os juízos de valor dos outros.

opinião - http://cronicasdeumaleitora.blogspot....

[Maluquinha dos livros · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5⭐️
Quem nunca se sentiu assoberbado/a com a vida, com o ritmo frenético que nos é imposto? Quem nunca teve um momento em que perdeu a racionalidade, por cansaço, por depressão, por tantas coisas? Quem nunca teve vontade de deixar tudo, nem que tenha sido por uns breves segundos?
A Vanessa teve sorte… levou tudo ao extremo, abandonou tudo, encontrou-se, refez-se recuperou a vida que deixou em suspenso. Infelizmente, parece-me que há muitas Vanessas, muitas pessoas com histórias de vida iguais e não têm a mesma sorte que a Vanessa teve.
Este livro aborda muitas questões importantes, mas a principal é, sem dúvida, a saúde mental. Deixa-nos a ideia de que só podemos fazer os outros felizes se estivermos bem. De que é necessário pedir ajuda quando é necessário.

[Maria Carmo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written in a very "monthly" way - the strange evolution of Vanessa during one year of her life, from the moment she leaves home in search of meaning and of herself, till the moment when, after a lot of events and mistakes, she finaly discovers where she wants to be and who she really is.

Maria Carmo,

Lisbon, 7 June 2015.

[LindaW · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a likable albeit somewhat predictable story about a wife and mother trying to determine what she really wants from life. Kind of a midlife crisis scenario. Vanessa's year-long journey to self-realization was entertaining enough, but the ending, while not a surprise, was disappointingly too neat and tidy. 3 stars.

[Mafalda Vasconcelos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Livro com uma escrita simples que se lê muito bem. Retrata a história de uma mulher que atravessa uma depressão ou como também lhe vi chamar “crise de meia idade”, e que acaba por perceber o que é realmente importante para a sua vida, o que faz com que se torne uma mulher feliz e realizada.

[Kobby Gyampoh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Review is by Http://Chicklitpad.blogspot.com

...So Flirting with Forty, minus a vacation-though there's an appearance of a surfing loving hunk who is ten years younger-and an irritating husband.

I am getting pissed at myself for commencing my reviews with: I love, love this book. But I can't help it, I really loved, loved this book (Apologies Niecey for the repetition. Still your unalloyed fan.) If not for the blog work, I would spend another week doing this all over again.

When I say, this book is so(oooo) like Jane Porter's hit, I really mean it. Frankly, I never completed Flirting With Forty. Because I didn't own a copy! I saw the book with a friend at school and this friend was so the kind of "friend" who would walk around campus clasping the book tight in the grip of her underarms to win over guys as the avid-reader type and the intelligent type. Anytime I asked her, she'd never let me have it saying she was so into not sharing written literature (You know how bitchy rich kids can get). But I was so into the blurb of the book, and I didn't want to give up. I doubt she'd be reading this blog (no kidding she's a dimbo), I stole the book. Yeah, gasp all you want. And I am not ashamed I did it. If I even really knew there was a movie, I would still have gone to such lengths. Unfortunately, I didn't finish reading it, because I came from recess one time and found out it was nowhere in my bag.

Reading this book made me somewhat fulfilled. And I really felt I had read from start to finish of you-know-what-book by now.

Another book about mid-life crisis. Another book about reconsidering all choices made in life. Another book about wanting to start over and exploring the world free from all the marital drama and the whatnots. And an exciting and fulfilling one at that.

I am not married. I don't have a kid. I don't have a friend who talks too much (I am probably that friend). I have the most adorable mum in the world unlike Vanessa's traditional one. And most importantly, I am sure if I do have all the above I wouldn't bolt like Vanessa did.

At the opening chapters, I was chaffed at our lead girl there (fortunately her roots are not sticking out like their doing on the cover), no matter how annoying your minors can get, there's no excuse for leaving them on a street and driving off. That's what being a mother is about, tolerating all the tantrums of your little ones no matter how much you would want to drive off (speaking from a guy's point of view). But it turned out, Vanessa had just been pranking the little girl. A prank which the police didn't get. And so did the judge who sat the case and sentenced her to forty sessions of therapy which would determine if she's fit to live as a normal person or one that should be locked up in a looney bin.

Through this therapy, Vanessa gets to acknowledge she isn't happy. Too much tedium, as she puts it. She doesn't know if she loves the husband who might be a prince charming in another fairy tale. She is quite sure she doesn't love her daughter. She isn't happy at her workplace with a boss who (collects dolls and) puts too much workload on her and one woman referred to as the 'Hellcat' happy to make everyone look bad in the sight of the boss (who collects dolls). She realizes all her life she's lived to please her mother. And Diana, she doesn't even know why she's friends with.

One incident of driving leads her to her hippie aunt who's in her sixties. Soon, she is leaving home, her husband, her daughter and to her mother's displeasure, moving in with this aunt.

Her stay is plagued with, concerns of all the wrong turns she'd taken during her lifetime, encounters with men who live with their daddies and mummies, a single lawyer in his thirties who loves to organize a little orgy at home and boyfriends of her aunt who like to troop around 'au-naturel'.

What I loved about this book is the little advice in the form of Vanessa's musings Fonseca drops out, and the ignored reasonings of every day life such as why there are so many nasty characters in this world, or why married couples would allow their waistlines to expand thinking their partners would accept them for who they are then get back in shape when there's a divorce, and why people cheat. Fonseca's view on all these simple everyday questions were fresh, unique and understanding. And you can't miss Vanessa's nights with a cult of divorcées who's opinions on marriage are enlightening.

Stock characters I was enamored with were mostly Frank, the hippy aunt's sixty-something boyfriend who loves going naked during their early hour meditations. Of course Diana whose speeches contributed half the novel size, and the single orgy-loving lawyer who brought out most of the romance Vanessa had been lacking being away from her husband.

A perfect read for the holidays. Or when you begin doubting all the choices you've made. I am not sure, but I think that moment of mid-life crisis (mostly with women) is inevitable and you would love this book snuggled between a duvet and a couch, your contacts well adjusted, a constant supply of caffeine in the form of coffee in a mug to take you through. Even if you are convinced you are so happy where you are, with who you are, still pick this book just because you want something entertaining. And trust me, mid-life crisis has never been portrayed any better.

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Reviewing all Chicklit, Romance and Women's Fiction.

[Andreia Carmo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Filipa Fonseca Silva é exímia em escrever de uma forma simples, escorreita, e cativante, sobre a complexidade das relações humanas e sobre os dilemas emocionais que todos enfrentamos em determinadas alturas da vida.

[Ana Sofia Filipe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uma excelente surpresa.
Com os olhos do preconceito, pensei que seria um livro menos bom - pela capa e por ter sido escrito na fase inicial (de publicação, pelo menos) da vida da autora.
Ora, a escrita é madura, fluida, não deixa pontas soltas e descreve bem as relações amorosas, e não só, os seus desafios, e a “aparente calma” quando na verdade há ebulição dentro de nós, receios, angústias e frustrações mal resolvidas.
O ponto menos bom, para a minha experiência de leitura, foi o final. Achei o remate do casal um pouco forçado.
Aconselho vivamente.

[Raquel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Filipa Fonseca Silva was the first Portuguese author to reach the Amazon Top 100, thanks to the English version of Os 30 – Nada é como sonhámos, which she translated and distributed in the international market. This book is her second novel and has received many positive reviews, including from The Thursday Interview and The Chicklit Pad.

The story is about the journey of a woman who finds herself trapped and wishes to rebuild her life. Vanessa is married, has an eight-year-old daughter and a steady job in management. But she is far from happy. Married life is no longer what it used to be. Her daughter gets into her nerves. And her boss is a dictator.

In a moment of exhaustion, she ends up making a decision that takes her to the office of a psychiatrist who will have to be convinced that Vanessa is mentally sane. However, more important than dodging four months of effective imprisonment is breaking free from the shackles of routine and the pressure of others' expectations and opinions. That's why she goes on a journey of no return.

With an unpretentious but entertaining writing, which allows the reader to create immediate empathy, Filipa Fonseca Silva invites the reader to watch the midlife crisis of a woman, who discovers that it is never too late to put everything in question.

With fully fleshed characters that have problems like everyone else, it's easy to understand that not everything is what it seems. Behind apparently cruel attitudes, there may be individuals who have not overcome their traumas. But Vanessa M. doesn't want to live off the misfortunes of others, but to resist the straightforward path of self-destruction. And, as she reflects on the meaning of life, she learns to be a happier woman, a more attentive mother, a more understanding daughter, a more passionate worker and a more tolerant friend.

Along the way, this woman makes unremarkable decisions, commits sins, feels lost and frustrated and even takes refuge in unrewarding love relationships. However, because it's sometimes harder to see the truth when we're too close, all the difficulties you inevitably face teach you you'll be nothing without love. And the happiness you seek will be of no interest if you can't share it.

Sometimes we just have to talk to someone, even when no one has answers to give, because the truth is we only found the answers within us. There are no recipes or miracle cures: there is only the desire to do more and be better, and the ability not to conform or let society dictate everything to us. If we receive stones along the way, we pick them up and build castles. Anyone can understand what this book is trying to convey. We all come across less than good phases. We know that nothing is black or white and that living is as good as it is confusing and draining.

[Carolina · Rating 5 out of 5]

So it's my turn to make a review of ONE of my favorite books.
This book is an easy-reading, and a can't stop reading type.
I think that in some point of our life we have the same questions that Vanessa has, and we start to think about our lives and "what could have happened if we do or we don't something..."
It's the second book of the author, and a more serious side of her, showing that mature and delicate topics can be addressed in an easy and fun way.

Now, for the HATERS that FOR NO REASON rated this book with 1 star, because they understood it as a SPAM,a good advice: Get the hell out of your pc, because the excess of internet and electronic stuff are CLEARLY interposing with your sanity and nice personality that I believe you have (in the deep of your heart, and take a walk, watch the sun, birds and bees, or do some yoga classes, it also works ;)

BACK TO WHAT MATTERS: this is a GREAT book for every age and gender, if you appreciate goodreadings, you CAN'T MISS IT!

[mariana ⋆ [mixordialiteraria] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Estava à espera do final desde praticamente metade do livro. No entanto, é uma história que levanta temáticas importantes e que as trata de uma perspectiva crua e verdadeira. Faz-nos pensar nas nossas próprias decisões. É uma história centrada no desenvolvimento e jornada de apenas uma personagem: Vanessa. Mas não deixa de ser um pormenor interessante, o facto de tão pouco se saber sobre as restantes personagens, até o seu nome. “O engenheiro”, “o advogado”, “o marido”, “a mãe”, “a tia”. Talvez porque a intenção da autora era reforçar o triunfo de Vanessa M. E na verdade, fiquei agradecida por isso, a viagem interior de Vanessa - mais uma curiosidade, não é uma história contada na primeira pessoa - ajuda o leitor a fazer uma introspecção da sua própria vida, decisões e ambições e por vezes, funciona um pouco como um livro de auto-ajuda - motivador, positivo e esperançoso. “Depois da tempestade, vem a bonança” e a frase que melhor aplica a este livro. Recomendo!! 4*

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Strange Year of Vanessa M. starts with Vanessa appearing to have the perfect life with a loving husband, a beautiful daughter, a good job and a nice home. Appearances are often very deceptive and Vanessa soon finds herself questioning her choices and making changes. With the help of her hippie Aunt, the interference of her bossy mother and the unwanted advise of her self-proclaimed best friend, she makes changes one by one and comes to a conclusion at the end and finds what she is looking for in a happy ending. Her emotional ups and downs make this story realistic and her sense of humor keeps her seeking a better place along the way as she learns to laugh and cry with all the wacky characters in her life.

[Ana Bernardo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5⭐️
Indo para esta leitura sem ilusões e nem sabendo bem qual era a história, tive uma agradável surpresa.
Óptima história, simples mas que apesar de tudo nos faz refletir. Sobre perder para dar valor.

[Kris Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a delightful book, - it took me completely by surprise. The cover is simple and eye-catching, and yet looks incredibly professional.

The content is exceptional, a literary fiction tale of identity and belonging, it guides the reader along at a lovely pace. The writing is exquisite, and definitely breaks the literary mould of ‘slow and purple prose filled’. This is a book of clean language, each word has purpose and it paints the picture of Vanessa’s life, her journey, and ultimately her self discovery.

I’d recommend this to lovers of contemporary women’s fiction and literary fiction. Great storytelling from an exceptional writer.

[Liz Keegans · Rating 4 out of 5]

An early mid life crisis? A true personal awakening? A little bit of both? What a year Vanessa.....and her husband, and her daughter, and her mother, and her aunt, and her co-workers.....had! Some for the better, some not. It's crazy to think we can end up living a life simply to please others or, at least, not upset someone else's apple cart. Although prompted into therapy because of a court ordered issue, Vanessa truly challenges herself, makes tough decisions and does the hard work to rebuild her life. At times I really didn't like Vanessa but, in the end, I like who she became and where she wants to go.

[Ana Gama · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book, and I highly recommend it: it's simple, exciting (I read the book in 2 days), about the real life.
It's a very current story, which could have been experienced by anyone in our society. I think we all have a bit of "Vanessa" inside us, but read and confirm for yourself!
I've read the book before (Thirty Something: Nothing's How We Dreamed It Would Be) and also enjoyed a lot.

Congratulations and best wishes / much success to Filipa Fonseca Silva, who is an excellent writer!

[Samuel Tomé · Rating 4 out of 5]

Filipa Fonseca Silva traz-nos uma Vanessa na casa dos trinta, casada, com uma filha, nem emprego com um chefe incompetente e que detesta. E vive infeliz, porque sempre viveu a vida que os outros queriam ou esperavam que ela tivesse, em detrimento daquilo que gostava e queria fazer. E este livro é precisamente isto: a busca pela felicidade, o 'grito do Ipiranga' para a descoberta de si próprio e do que quer fazer da sua vida.

Art. completo em: http://aminhaleituras.blogspot.pt/201...

[W.S. Haggard · Rating 4 out of 5]

In spite of the sometimes awkward translation, I really liked this book. Vanessa is a woman struggling to find her own happiness in a world that has dictated her happiness until her 30's. She wrestles with issues that strike close to home while at the same time prove difficult for some people to understand: ambiguous feelings toward her child, dissatisfaction with her (by all accounts) adoring husband, conflicted feelings towards her cold mother. The story starts a bit slowly, but it is a great account of one woman's convoluted journey to find her true happiness.

[Hugo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The strange year of Vanessa M. is the story of a wife and mother that finds herself in a kind of non diagnosed depression/ general unsatisfaction about several aspects of her life. She decides it's never too late to seek happiness and starts a sometimes comic other times very serious journey to find it. I don't want to reveal more, but the author has a writing style that puts me "in the zone", as if I was watching the movie based on the book:)

[Katya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recebi o ebook oferecido pela autora!^^
Em vários aspectos, revi-me na personagem de Vanessa... Especialmente na necessidade de provocar uma reviravolta em alguns aspectos da vida à procura da felicidade que um dia esteve presente!! Este livro foi uma lufada de ar fresco, leve e viciante! Bem como a minha estreia na leitura em formato digital!

[Patrícia C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

« Emocionante, esta obra. Retrata aspectos da vida que são muito comuns, e a autora descreve-os de uma maneira magnífica! Pela primeira vez, li um livro desta autora, e fiquei fã, aliás, super fã. A maneira de escrever, como descreve os acontecimentos, tudo. »

Resto da opinião em : http://lovelygirlwholovesread.blogspo...

[Carlos Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Li o primeiro livro desta autora e achei muito bom, hilariante até, não esperava que este segundo livro fosse nitidamente mais maduro e na minha opinião com uma escrita muito mais evoluída.
Parabéns á autora e está na hora de começar a pensar no próximo.

[Cátia Cunha]

Já li o O Estranho Ano de Vanessa M. e venho dizer que adorei, o livro prende-nos de tal forma que não consegui parar de ler. Estou agora ansiosa para ler os 30. Obrigada pela sua escrita, não conhecia o seu trabalho e fiquei agradavelmente surpreendida.

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a great read!

Definitely a great read!

it's easy to see women in Vanessa's same situation. what I couldn't foresee was how she would change her life. I truly enjoyed this book.

[Prapti Panda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorei a escrita da autora! Também me revi muito na personagem de Vanessa, embora eu não tenha passado pelas mesmas coisas. O que me fez reduzir uma estrela da leitura foi o desfecho do livro. Não sei, acho que estava à espera de algo mais radical, menos continuação de um círculo vicioso.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fácil de ler, mas bem escrito; uma história simples, mas cativante! Aconselho!
Easy to read, but well written. A simple story, but impossible to put down. I recommend it!

[Cristina Nóbrega · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!! I read this book only in one day becausa i was wonderfull with.the story! I recommend this book!!!

[Little Red Readinghood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story of a woman finding herself and realizing what is really important.